Inflatable member for a protection device for a ship hull

ABSTRACT

An inflatable member for a protection device for the hull of a ship, characterized in that the inflatable member includes a deformable casing ( 1 B) housed in a textile flexible pocket ( 1 D) unattached to the casing ( 1 B), the flexible pocket ( 1 D) limiting the deformation extent of the deformable casing

The present invention relates to an inflatable member for a shockprotecting device for a ship hull.

When a ship is lying along a pontoon or a pier, to avoid damages to thehull, a hull protection device is placed at various points along thehull side facing the pontoon.

This protection device comes as a vertical half rigid roll kept hangingby a rope fastened, for example, to the rail. It is further called afender.

These rolls, initially kept in the ship, must be put in place manuallyduring docking, then tidied away during displacement at sea or river.

This handling being tedious and dangerous, a device is known in DE-A-29704 772 or EP-A-0 987 176 that involves fitting out housings in the shiphull where inflatable protection devices are accommodated.

Each device is comprised of a deformable elastic membrane, so that,while deflated, it can be entirely accommodated in the housing and, inthe inflated state, this device comes approximately as a sphere. Eachinflatable member is detachably mounted on a nozzle of aninflating/deflating system protruding in the housing.

During the inflation, the device wall deformation pushes the protectiondevice out.

Such a system thus avoids handlings and may be remotely managed.

This system, having advantages, nevertheless needs that these means beprovided during the hull building.

A second drawback is that these means are placed at a determined levelof the ship that does not necessarily match the pontoon or pier height,taking the tide into account.

A third point is that, during docking, these devices bear significantshearing stress that tends to tear them off their nozzles.

Even in a stopped position of the ship, these devices bear a shearingstrain.

In these solutions examples, the ship hull must be pierced and manyowners refuse to make these holes.

Moreover, for some ships, it is difficult to pierce the hull.

From FR 2 896 227 is known an inflatable device for protecting a shiphull, this device comprising an inflatable member that, in the deflatedstate, is located in a housing and, in the inflated state, is placedoutside the hull, this inflatable member being connected toinflation/deflation means through a duct. It further comprisestranslatory maneuvering means moving the inflatable member between aninternal position, in which it is housed in a tubular chamber, and anexternal position before its inflation. This product is much moreconvenient.

The inflatable member must be shockproof Moreover, it must be deformableenough, at first, to be housed in a small cross-section tube and, whenit has gone out of this tube, to take up a significant volume.

For the fender to be efficient, it must not deform too much.

To give strength to a rubber balloon, a lattice work may be included inthe membrane thickness, like what is done with watering hoses.Unfortunately, this greatly reduces the balloon elasticity anddeformation.

Such a solution is impossible to implement with a fender, except byexcessively increasing the cross-section of the chamber housing thefender when it is tidied away. Knowing that room is limited aboard aship, this solution is not suitable.

The wall thickness may also be increased, but this also limits thedeformation possibilities.

The invention aims at providing a solution.

With this end in view, the present invention relates to an inflatablemember for a protection device for the hull of a ship, characterized inthat the inflatable member includes a deformable casing housed in anunattached textile flexible pocket, the flexible pocket limiting thedeformation extent of the deformable casing and defining the shape ofthe deformable casing in the inflated state.

The invention will be better understood with the following descriptionmade by way of non limitative example and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, where:

FIG. 1 shows a ship with the protection device in the outside andinflated position;

FIG. 2 shows a protection device in the inside position, viewed fromabove the ship;

FIG. 3 shows an enlarged view of an inflatable member in the process ofinflation; and

FIG. 4 shows an enlarged view of an inflatable member in the process ofinflation, the flexible pocket in the extended state and the deformablecasing in a half-inflated state.

Referring to the drawings, an inflatable device 1 for the protection ofa ship hull is shown. This device must be put in place before dockingthe ship along the pear or the mooring pontoon.

This protection device 1 comprises an inflatable member 100 movablebetween a so-called internal position (FIG. 2), where it is deflated andlocated inside a housing, and a so-called external position (FIG. 1),where it is located along the external side of the hull.

The protection device is housed, at least partly, in a case 300including an access port 2. This case is provided outside the ship orhoused inside. Its transversal dimension is smaller than thecross-section of the inflatable member in the inflated state.

It is preferably entirely housed in the case, except for the powerproducing means that may be that of the ship.

A jacket 2A guides the inflatable member during the release maneuver.

This case is fixed on the ship deck 400. It is preferably fixed so thatthe inflatable member is substantially parallel to the longitudinalaxis. An inclined plane 50 has been provided to guide the inflatablemember towards the outside. The inflatable member thus moves from itshousing towards the outside by translatory motion and lateral movementto then tip over downwards.

To inflate or deflate it, this protection device is connected toinflation/deflation means 3 through a duct 4.

For example, a compressor 5 associated to a vacuum pump 6 is used,possibly with a compressed air reserve. These variousinflation/deflation means are advantageously housed in the case fixed onthe deck in order to make of them an almost self-contained device.

A distributor allows to connect the protection device to the compressoror the vacuum pump.

The protection device comprises translatory maneuver means 7 moving itbetween both above-mentioned positions.

The inflatable body 100 of the device is released out of the case beforebeing inflated.

The translatory motion of the device thus allows to release it out ofthe case and bring it outside at a desired level, namely more or lesslower than the ship desk.

When it is completely outside the case, it may then be inflated.

Advantageously, it is the air supply/discharge duct 4 of the inflatabledevice that moves the inflatable member 100 of the protection device.

The duct 4 must therefore be able to exert a thrust effect and a pullingeffect.

In order for this duct to be able to act as a thrust, it slides in asheath 8 fixed at each end.

This duct must also be flexible for example to wind up on a drum 9driven by an electric motor.

Advantageously, the inflatable member 100 of the protection device isconnected to the supply/discharge duct 4 by a coupling 11 allowingrotation of the device relative to the duct.

This point is important because it allows the inflatable member of theprotection device to bear a rotating strain and not a shearing strain.

Preferably, the inflatable member 100 of the protection device has anelongated shape so that, when put in place outside the hull, it protectsa fair height of the hull.

The protection device comprises a flexible hollow central body 1A, likea metal flexible tube in stainless steel provided with perforations 1Cto let the air pass, this tube being surrounded by a deformable casing1B.

FIG. 3 shows in dotted lines the inflatable member body, in solid linesthe casing in the half-inflated state and in mixed lines the inflatedcasing.

The inflatable member comprises a deformable casing 1B housed in atextile flexible pocket 1D, the flexible pocket 1D limiting thedeformation extent of the deformable casing.

The casing 1B not only is deformable, but in the non-inflated state ittakes up a small volume allowing it to pass through the access port 2.It is made of elastomer. Its flexibility and its elasticity allow totake up a small volume in the non-inflated state, for it to pass throughthe jacket 2A, and a big volume in the inflated state.

This pocket 1D is made, for example, of weaved nylon. In a particularembodiment, this pocket is made of high strength polyester formed intubular knitting. It is tubular with tapered ends. It thus limits thedeformation of the deformable casing and allows to increase the pressureinside the deformable casing. This flexible pocket therefore defines themaximum shape that the deformable casing will have in the inflatedstate.

FIG. 4 shows the shape that the pocket 1D would have in the inflatedstate of the deformable casing 1B, the deformable casing is neverthelessshown in a partly inflated state.

In the deflated state, the deformable casing takes up little room andthe extra-thickness of the flexible pocket is not very awkward. The factthat the pocket is unattached to the deformable casing allows thenon-inflated whole to take up a small volume.

Bearing in mind the movement of the pocket 1D and the deformable casingas a whole, this pocket is kept at both ends of it on the casing 1B oron the duct 4 by a glue, a tie or an elastic. This flexible pocket isnot fixed on the deformable casing surface because this flexible pocketwould limit its deformation.

The supply duct 4 includes a member having tensile strength.

The duct 4 comprises, for example, a flexible metal casing, for example,of the type used for the flexible tube, but airtight, or else this metalduct may house a plastic duct of the type used for pneumatic controls.

A cable may be used to give strength to duct 4.

This supply duct 4 must have a fair tensile strength because, when theprotection device is put out, it may bear a significant tensile stress.

Providing a coupling 11 allowing rotation of the inflatable memberlimits the stress on the duct mainly to tensile stress.

The free end is possibly weighted with lead so that it may assist themovement of the inflatable member of the protection device in theoutward direction. It may comprise locally a tapered bearing surface fora fair sealing that could be completed by a seal.

This weight also maintains the device vertically, when it is released,by action of the gravity.

Schematically, a translatory lock 13 of the supply duct is shown.

It may be a rotation lock of the drum on which the supply duct winds up,but also a pressure system.

An indicator of the unwinding length of the tie that connects theprotection device to the drum may be provided in order to know, from aremote station, the inflatable member position relative to the deck.

Thus, from a control station, these protection devices, also calledfenders, may be put in place without risking to fall in the water, whichis very worthwhile for people of reduced mobility.

These devices will be distributed along the hull according to the needs.They are, preferably, self-contained, that is to say the owner only hasto fix the case on the deck near the side and to connect the electriccurrent if the device comprises a motor. Of course, the system may bemanual with the drum maneuvered with a crank. The inflation may be donefrom a compressed air reserve, which is filled up when the ship isberthed.

1. An inflatable member for a protection device for the hull of a ship,comprising: a deformable casing housed in a textile flexible pocketunattached to the casing, the flexible pocket constructed to limit adeformation extent of the deformable casing.
 2. An inflatable memberaccording to claim 1, comprising: a flexible hollow central bodyprovided with perforations which allow air to pass, said flexible hollowcentral body being surrounded by the deformable casing and connected toa supply duct.
 3. An inflatable member according to claim 2, furthercomprising: an air supply/discharge duct of the inflatable memberconstructed to cause movement of said inflatable member.
 4. Aninflatable member according to claim 3, wherein the air supply/dischargeduct comprises a flexible metal casing.
 5. An inflatable memberaccording to claim 1, further comprising a weight at a free end of theinflatable member.
 6. An inflatable member according to claim 1, whereinthe inflatable member has an elongated shape.
 7. An inflatable memberaccording to claim 2, wherein the inflatable member of the protectiondevice is connected to the air supply/discharge duct by a coupling whichis adapted to allow rotation of the inflatable member relative to theair supply/discharge duct.
 8. An inflatable member according to claim 1,wherein the textile flexible pocket is made of weaved nylon.